burgess



H. BURGESS.

Process for Coating lIron ywith Cpper orBrass.

10.11.319. f Paremed1u|y18,1 854.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUGH HURGESS, OF KENTISH TOWN, COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND.

METHOD OF COATING IRON WITH BRASS OR COPPER.

`Spwlxcation forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 1,319, dated July 1B, 1854.

3() il 107mm it may concern:

12e it known that I, HUGH BURGEss, of No. .T Grove Terrace, Kentish Town, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented or dis covered a new and useful Process for Coating- Iron with Copper or Brass; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the manner of doin'g` the same.

This inventionpconsists of'cansing sheets, bars, and other forms ol'iron to be rst cleansed, then coated over with a solution of cadmium or zinc, then dried and dipped into a bath of melted copper or brass, then raised out ofthe bath into an atmosphere of steam and carbonic acid owing in in jets; and, when the form of tlie iron will admit of it, a pair of rollers is the best mode ol' raising out ol' the bath and equalizing the surfaces; and the reheated sheets or bars may be further rolled, and by like means two surfaces of iron may be coated and joined; and in order that` my invention may be most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.

In order that all parts of any article of iron may be well and completely coatedwith copper or brass by this proeess,earemust be taken in the selection ot' the iron from which the article to be coated is made, sincefrom the use of dirty scrap-iron, of which much bar and bolt iron is formed, imperfect welding of the parts results; and when the mass ot' forged iron is rolled into bar or bolt iron the imperl'ect welding is shown by longitudinal cracks and flaws down the rod or bar, which are not only impossible to clean so as to prepare the bar forthe. process hereinafter described, but on being suddenly heated by being immersed in the molten copper or brass the flaws open -and` the dirty surface of the iron prevents the coating being,` effected in such parts.

l will now proceed to describe the process by which a coating ot' copper or alloys ofcopper is eiected.

The articles to be coated are to be first well cleaned in dilute sulphuric acid, as is well understood. They are then to be carefully washed in a dilutesolutionof chloride ofzinc. The strength of the solution I have used is made byadding about five parts of water to a saturated solution of the chloride, formed by dissolving zine in hydrochloric acid till action has ceased.

I may here state that I do not confine myself to the use of chloridcot zinc. Ifind the other Lsoluble salts of zinc and tin may be used, and

teinperatureeshort of driving oft' or decoin` posing,r any ofthe above-named preparations, and may be pllvlulg'ed-iuto melted copper or alloy ot' copper.

I may state that I do not find it advisable to use pure copper alone, but that a mixture of about two per cent. of zinc and one per cent. of tin to ninety-seven parts of copper answer the purpose better than copper alone.

rihe length of time which the article should remain in the molten metal depends on the bull: of the artielesand the temperature ot the molten metal, and can only be determined by the eye aud experience. A three-quarterinch bolt requires about three seconds. The upper surface of the molten metal shouldbe the hottest, and I have found it desirable to `:cov-Ver the top of the I netal with powdered eharcoah sand, or some such substance, to

prevent oxidation and the chilling effect of the air. Immediately upon the article being taken out of the metal it is at once introduced into a reservoir or tank containing an atmosphere ol' steam and carbonieacid liowing into it in streams er in place thereof it may be ot' carbureted hydrogen or any dcoxidizing vapor, andthere allowed to cool. Should carbureted hydrogen be used, care must be taken that no atmospheric air be admitted into the reservoir, and for this purpose the entrance by which the coated articles are introduced must be double-valved and the gas kept to a slight pressure, so that the pressure of the gas outward will prevent the introduction of atmospheric air into the tank or vessel7 and the double valve will prevent the loss of much gas,

the articles being introduced between the valves,lone being shut when the other isopen. The tanks should be in sets of two, so that all the gas may be withdrawn from one and passed into the other when it is requisite to reniove the coated articles. It is advisable to cover the floors ofthe tanks with tine sand, to prevent the` articles being injured in passing into the reservoir.

The advantage of using carbureted hydrogen or other deoxidizing agents is that the heat from the melting-furnace is quite sufficient to produce all the carbureted hydrogen required, a small retort to-distill the coal being placed in the fire of the furnace.

In some instances it may be desirable to protect the coated articles from oxidation by drawing them through a covering of flux on the surface of the molten metal. I effect this by drawing the flux ou one side by a fire-clay scraper, i-nnnersing the article in the copper,

and then allowing the flux to again cover the surface of the metal and withdrawing the article through t-he iiux. I have found that glass answers the purpose well. Iron being .lighter than copper or the alloys of copper, I

take advantage of this circumstance, and by loosely placing a bolt which is to be coated in an instrument consisting of two cones or rings (at a distance apart according to the length of bolt) that receive the head and point, and which allow it to play, thel bolt will rise and fall as it is introduced or withdrawn from the molten metal, and thus all parts are exposed to the hot metal. The cones are made of ireclay or 4iron coated with a mixture of some fire-clay and a little boraX, and are made as open as is consistent with sufficient strength. The lower cone is attached to a rod of iron protected as the cones, and standing outalittle from it. `The upper cone is attached to a slide, which is retained at any height on the rod by a screw, thetwo cones being opposite and one above the other. A bolt is placed with the head in the lower cone, an'd the upper one is brought d'own so as to just take in the point, allowing it to rise abouta-n inch and `a half, but not suiieient to allow the -head to risc out of the lower conc. O11 being introduced into the molten metal when at a certain depth, the bolt rises and allows the metal to touch all parts ofthe head. -The reverse takes place on withdrawing the bolt. More than one set of cones may be attached to a rod.

For coating small articles I have found a pot with its mouth built into the furnacemouth, like a glass pot, do very well. The Aprincipal object is to keep cold .air from the surface of the metal, which must be the hottest part, and to exclude all dust and dirt from the metal. or reverberatory furnace is preferable.

In order to give to the coated iron bolts ypoints of mixed metal, thecoated bolts. are

treated in the following manner: Ii'indamixture of two per cent. of tin and one per cent. of zinc best for this purpose. The bolts after -fire over them in'a-n iron basket.

For large processes an air having been`coated with copper or brass'have their end or ends brought up toa blunt point, cleaned, or brightened. They are then tit-ted into a casting-box, having a bottom perforated with holes. Each hole has a screw attached toit, so that the bolts may be held in .the holes by the screws at anydesired height.

The casting-box is provided with an outlet, the bolts being placed in the box at the desired height. About two inches of loam is sifted over the bottoni of the box, thebolts standing out of the loam and showing a little of the coating above the loam. About oneeighth of an inch is sufficient. Runners are then made in thel loam from each lpoint and all terminate in the outlet of the box before named. The upper casting-box being of the height of the desired metal points or ends, is placed on`the other, as is .done in brasseasting. A thin piece of pipe is slipped over the iron' end of the belts, the thickness of the pipe determining the size of the intended point. Thepoint should be about one-sixteenth of an inch larger than the'size of the bolt and rolled down to the saine diameter. The upper box is .now filled up with loam, as is well understood by brass-founders.

I have found it-desirable to have a flat top with holes'exactly the size of the pieces of pipe whichform the pattern for the metal joints, and directly above theholes Vthrough which the bolts are placed at the bottom of the box, fitted on the top of' the upper box, so as to prevent the patterns being displaced by the ranlmiug. 'The patterns are withdrawn and runners made from one main to all t-he molds. The bright iron points are now moistened with any of the above-n1entioned solutions or matters and dried by placing a coke- The molteneopper or alloy of copper may be run from an air-furnace. Sufficient metal must be allowed to-fiow upon, the iron points till they are red hot. The aperture or outlet of the lower box may no'w be closed with a plug of Iloam and the` points allowed to cool.

I also propose casting copper or brass around iron-bar, bolt, or sheet-.and rolling the couibined metals when atthe requisitetemperature. In carrying out this process I proceed as follows: The iron to be coated must be cleaned and washed or covered with any of the substances before mentioned. A mold is prepared of welldried loam, the same as is used for cores by brass-founders, having afoot at the lower end,

for the iron to t into to keep it in its place. An iron bar formed to receiye the upper end ofthe iron serves the samepurpose. At the top a small runner is left from the bottom of the mold. The iron being dipped into the metal it is desired to cover it with, it is plunged at once into the mold, which is at the same time lled with molten metal. Alittle meta-l is allowed to flow through the lower runner. then closed and the mold'and feeder lled up with molten metal. Asrnall but strong jet of coal-gas may be made'to play upon the iron as it Itis Rl,3l9 3 descends into the molten metal Ain the mold, the form ofthe jet being circular,`and 'is brought into close contact With-the coated iron by means of a hollow ring, the aperture being ljust the size ol' the 'coated iron, the gas entering the collar by a series of holesI in the outside edge of the collar. The combined metals should be rolled as soon as they are cooled to the proper temperature. This varies with the alloy of copper used.. Inv rolling headed bolts I use rollers having a groove in each the size of half the bolt head and shank, so that when the corresponding grooves in the two rollers come t o-l gether they are equaljn s ize to the head and shank of thebolt. The bolts are placed head iirst between the rollers.

The accompanying drawings represent the most important of the mechanical appliances used in Vretlueing thisprocess to practice, in which said drawings Figure 1 represents a side View of a Inolding-box. Fig. 2 represents a top view of the lower part of the molding-box when separated at the red line x of Fig. l. Fig. 3 represents a vertical cross section t-hrough the molding-box at the red line yy of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 represents a side View of the gas-box. A Fig. 5 represents a vertical central section through the same, and Fig. G repre-v Sents the dipping apparatus.

Similar letters where they -oceur refer to like parts.

.In Figs. l, 3, A` represents the upper, and B the lower, part of the casting-box, held t0- getherin any ofthe usualwell-known ways, the latter figure representing the box as filled with sand, and having a bolt, a, in place to receive acopper or brass point. The ends ofthe bolts to be coppered-rre brought to a point, which point protrndesa little above the sand in the lower part, B, of the.castingbox. g vF reprcsents a molding-stiel; of about the diameter of the bolts,whieh are placed over the points of the bolts, and should be kept in their true.

position by guides on top of the casting-box. Sand is then lsifted intov the upper box and rammed as in the usual way. The moldingsticks are then withdrawn and a pattern of the future copper pointis formed. The molding-stick inay be apiece of a tube of the diameter or a little larger than the bolt, placed on `a piece of Wood of the same diameter, the tube beingfor the purpose of allowing the point of the bolt to enter it, as seen in Fig. 3, and may,

of course, be arranged in sets tosuit theuiulnber of holes in the casting-box.

In Fig. 2, G'represents. the holes through which the points of the bolts to be coppered protrude, and a is a ruimer through the center of that part of the casting-box, and which leads to the spout E, and into which runner a vsmall ,runners b from the bolt -point-s are brought. The melted metal is run into the pattern d, Fig. 3, passes through the runner a and branches b around the points of the llolts, and runs ofi' at the spout E into any proper vessel l-to receive it. As soon as the points become red-hot the spout is plugged up and the patternd filled up and the whole allowed to co`ol.

Figs. 4, 5 represent the gas-chamber, in which e represents the Jupper door, and f the lower one, both being held shut by springs g h, and theinner door is also provided with a rod or thuinb-piece, i', extending outside, so that it may be opened fronrthe outside. The purpose of this gasehaniber is fully described in the detail of the process.

Fig. 6 represents the dipping apparatus, on which one of the arms H should be made adjustable to receive bolts of variable lengths, and said arm instead of being straight may be curved or inclined, but in such manner that its lingers k may be directly over the fingers l of the lower arm, I.

Having thus fully described the nature of my invention or discovery, I desire to state that Ido not claim any ot' the apparatus or the process to which they refer, having de scribed them for the purpose of explaination only; but

"hat I do claim herein as new, :and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is`

.The coating of iron sheets, bars, bolts, and other` forms of iron'with copper or brass by a combination of processes `as follows: by first cleaning, then coating them over with a solution of cadmium or zinc, drying and dipping them into a bat-h of melted copper or brass, and raising them out of the bath into an atmosphcre of steam and carbonio acid iiowing in streams or in jets, substantiallyin the manner described.

HUGH BURGIESS. Witnesses:

A. B. STOUGHTON, SMIL. GRUBB. 

